Nation in Focus

February 7, 2013 9:06 PM

Photo: Jeff Morehead/Associated Press

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Rain drops sit on the shoulder of U.S. Postal Service letter carrier of 19 years, Michael McDonald, as he delivers mail in the rain, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, in Atlanta. The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service wants to stop delivering mail on Saturdays but continue to deliver packages six days a week under a plan aimed at saving about $2 billion a year. less

Rain drops sit on the shoulder of U.S. Postal Service letter carrier of 19 years, Michael McDonald, as he delivers mail in the rain, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, in Atlanta. The financially struggling U.S. Postal ... more

Photo: David Goldman, Associated Press

Rain drops sit on the shoulder of U.S. Postal Service letter... Photo-4156912.56454 - seattlepi.com

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U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) (L) meets with U.S. President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of defense and former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) February 7, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Senate Armed Services Committee has delayed its vote on the confirmation for Hagel because the committee's review of the nomination is not yet complete. less

U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) (L) meets with U.S. President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of defense and former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) February 7, 2013 on ... more

Members of the Rainbow Bridges team watch as sixth-grade math and science teacher Teneal Gardner, at left, adds weight to their toothpick bridge during a bridge strength competition at Justice Thurgood Marshall Intermediate School in Marion, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. The bridge held to 740 grams. Watching in background are Chloe Vermilion, Sophie Schenck, Taylor Kitts and Jesseca Evans. Not pictured are team members Hannah Patel and Lezley Contreras. less

Members of the Rainbow Bridges team watch as sixth-grade math and science teacher Teneal Gardner, at left, adds weight to their toothpick bridge during a bridge strength competition at Justice Thurgood Marshall ... more

Photo: Jeff Morehead, Associated Press

Members of the Rainbow Bridges team watch as sixth-grade math and... Photo-4156908.56454 - seattlepi.com

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In this photo made on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, a young Amish woman walks down the dirt road between the farms in Bergholz, Ohio that are worked by the families of sixteen men and women facing sentencing Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 in beard-cutting attacks on fellow Amish in Ohio. The defendants want leniency so they can return to their homes and farms, to teach their sons a trade and their daughters how to sew, cook and keep house. less

In this photo made on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, a young Amish woman walks down the dirt road between the farms in Bergholz, Ohio that are worked by the families of sixteen men and women facing sentencing Friday, ... more

Photo: Keith Srakocic, Associated Press

In this photo made on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, a young Amish woman... Photo-4155764.56454 - seattlepi.com

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Anthony Hale lifts his head to look around as he and other students in Cheryl Logan's second-grade classroom at Kendall Elementary School are given the all-clear after the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake drill in Marion, Ind., on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. less

Anthony Hale lifts his head to look around as he and other students in Cheryl Logan's second-grade classroom at Kendall Elementary School are given the all-clear after the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake ... more

Photo: Jeff Morehead, Associated Press

Anthony Hale lifts his head to look around as he and other students... Photo-4156903.56454 - seattlepi.com

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Miles Cowan (4th L), son of U.S. Sen. William "Mo" Cowan (D-MA) (L), greets U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden (2nd L) as his mother Stacy (R), and brother Grant (3rd L) look on during his father's re-enacted swearing-in February 7, 2013 at the Old Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Cowan was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick as interim U.S. Senator to fill the seat that left vacant by Secretary of State and former Senator John Kerry. less

Miles Cowan (4th L), son of U.S. Sen. William "Mo" Cowan (D-MA) (L), greets U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden (2nd L) as his mother Stacy (R), and brother Grant (3rd L) look on during his father's re-enacted ... more

Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images

Miles Cowan (4th L), son of U.S. Sen. William "Mo" Cowan... Photo-4156910.56454 - seattlepi.com

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A worker walks up towards a plow smoothing a large salt pile at Eastern Salt Company in Chelsea, Mass., Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, in preparation for a major winter storm headed toward the U.S. Northeast. The National Weather Service calls for up to 2 feet of snow expected for a Boston-area region that has seen mostly bare ground this winter. less

A worker walks up towards a plow smoothing a large salt pile at Eastern Salt Company in Chelsea, Mass., Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, in preparation for a major winter storm headed toward the U.S. Northeast. The ... more

Photo: Elise Amendola, Associated Press

A worker walks up towards a plow smoothing a large salt pile at... Photo-4155767.56454 - seattlepi.com

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Crawford County, Ind., Sheriff Tim Wilkerson, left, and Deputy Debra Young, back to camera. comfort Rose Turben, center, as they stand in front of a mobile home where five of Turben's family members died in a mobile home fire Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 in Sulpher, Ind. Wilkerson said it took firefighters two hours to extinguish the fire that gutted the home, according to the The Courier Journal. less

Crawford County, Ind., Sheriff Tim Wilkerson, left, and Deputy Debra Young, back to camera. comfort Rose Turben, center, as they stand in front of a mobile home where five of Turben's family members died in a ... more

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta testifies on the attack on the US facilities in Benghazi, Libya, before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2013.

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta testifies on the attack on the US facilities in Benghazi, Libya, before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2013.

Photo: Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta testifies on the attack on the... Photo-4156896.56454 - seattlepi.com

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Anti-war protesters shout slogans as John Brennan (R), President Barack Obama's pick to lead the CIA, arrives to testify before a full committee hearing on his nomination to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2013. less

Anti-war protesters shout slogans as John Brennan (R), President Barack Obama's pick to lead the CIA, arrives to testify before a full committee hearing on his nomination to be director of the Central ... more

Mia, a Chihuahua , stands at a press conference kicking off the 137th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on February 7, 2013 in New York City. This year's event will feature two new breeds, Treeing Walker Coonhounds and Russell Terriers and will take place February 11 and 12. less

Mia, a Chihuahua , stands at a press conference kicking off the 137th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on February 7, 2013 in New York City. This year's event will feature two new breeds, Treeing Walker ... more